city in Washington
Honey bee forage in Grand Coulee, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 16% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (71st percentile) and lowest in summer (6th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 1.5 mi SW); alfalfa (nearest 2.8 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); peas (nearest 3.2 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Grand Coulee?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 15, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Sep 15 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Grand Coulee, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on May 3.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, snowberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, snowberry; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, garden flowers; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Apples: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi SW, blooms late Apr – early May
- Alfalfa: about 73 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi SW, blooms early Jun – early Oct (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Grand Coulee
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Open water.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.13 mi E; open water 0.13 mi E.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 76% of acres in Washington (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Grand Coulee ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 45th | 59th | 54th | 71st |
| Washington | 16th | 49th | 6th | 71st |
| Columbia Plateau | 43rd | 73rd | 20th | 53rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Grand Coulee: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Coulee Dam 2 mi · Electric City 3 mi · Elmer City 5 mi · Nespelem Community 16 mi · Nespelem 16 mi · Almira 16 mi
All towns in Washington · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Grand Coulee (47.9391, -119.0021); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.